Itchy, Scratchy, Drippy

No, these aren't the 8th, 9th, and 10th dwarfs. It's a description of me, almost every day, especially when I'm at work. I'm pretty sure I'm allergic to my office (or more likely, the dust that's accumulating in it). When I was younger I didn't have any allergies. Many people don't realize that you can develop them as you get older; I'm proof that yes, you can.

Sometimes bad allergies get less severe over time (the immune system is fun and mysterious like that). That's what happened to my husband, who needed to get allergy shots as a kid but as an adult eventually came to rely mostly on OTC meds. Unfortunately, he started taking the wrong ones, which dried him out and make his allergies worse. After a reluctant trip to the doctor, he's using two Rx nasal sprays and feeling much, much better. Meanwhile, I experimented with OTC eye drops for a while, thinking that my contacts were just getting dried out. My optometrist gave me some prescription allergy eye drops to try, and now I no longer feel like I want to scratch my eyes out all the time.

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The lesson: OTC options can help, but if they're not working, get professional help—stat. Ideally, you should start your treatment before allergy season kicks into high gear and your immune response goes into overdrive.

To learn more about why allergies are on the rise and what you can do about it, check out this WD report.